A really wonderful holiday collection that is not like any other....sets a delightful tone that will certainly start your foot a tappin' and bring a smile to your face. Perfect as party background. It's also a grand accompaniment to decorating the tree. Thanks for sharing it with us H and K.

Repeat after me, five times, very fast: "Howard and Karen Pancoast play power piano!" Not so easy, eh? Tongue-twisters aside, Howard and Karen Pancoast DO play power piano, and it's the sort of intense, gut-busting piano that you might expect from "Ferrante and Teicher on steroids" (as the Pancoasts themselves put it). This is pop piano with a jazzy bent, and Christmas Sugar and Spice presents joyous piano playing by this married couple, who clearly love creating music together. The Pancoasts, both piano teachers, have done their own arrangements on 15 holiday classics, some for solo piano and some for duets. For the most part, the style is clean and forceful, even on the more delicate numbers. As a result, the Pancoasts consistently send the message of high energy and rich enjoyment. This is no sleepy little piano album, that's for certain. Christmas Sugar and Spice often presents a driving bass beat with rippling overtones. The styles are quite varied, from the boogie woogie Jingle Bells to the stately Hallelujah Chorus and everything in between. I tended to favor the duo renditions and especially liked the Pancoasts' winning interpretation of Jolly Old St. Nicholas. Howard and Karen Pancoast know the musical value of power piano and collaboration, and they generously share their holiday delight in Christmas Sugar and Spice. Sweet! --Carol Swanson (Reviewed in 2006)

What a delightful way to hear the carols. I listened to it after the stress of shopping and 'elevator carols' in the stores and this was such a welcome sound.